About two weeks ago, I put Veronika on a pretty tight schedule. I don't believe in establishing schedules before a baby is 3 months old because I think when they're still in that newborn stage, you have to follow their cues and feed them on demand. Sleeping is also pretty scattered. But after 3 months of age, I think they do really well when you have a routine that you follow closely each day. These are the rules:
- Eating every 3.5-4 hours during the day (150 ml, currently).
- Playtime following a feeding should not exceed 1.5 hours.
- Put baby to sleep before baby shows signs of sleeping (i.e. rubbing eyes, yawning).
This is the schedule we've been following each and every day and as a result she never cries, only when she's hungry or passing gas (both of which are normal). Her Reflux has also gone now so she's generally a very happy baby during the day. She eats, I place her in her rocking chair or the bed and play with her, or let her bang the dangling toys with her hands and feet. Once 1.5 hours pass since she last woke up, I put her down for a nap. It usually takes her about five minutes to fall asleep (no crying!). She takes 3-4 naps per day.
Her bedtime is 8pm, and I would then wake her up around 11pm to eat. She inhales an entire bottle and sleeps until 4am. She then takes 10 minutes to eat and then sleeps until 7ish. We're hoping that in another month or two she'll be sleeping through the night like her sister did.
